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Iran

May 6, 2026

Tehran 8:30 pm

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In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, second right, talks to his Iranian Counterpart Abbas Araghchi, left, during the bilateral meeting in Beijing, Wednesday, May 6, 2026.

Iran, China discuss Hormuz reopening amid potential US-Iran talks

China’s foreign minister told his Iranian counterpart that “persisting in negotiations is particularly important.”

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks during a press conference in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on May 5, 2026 in Washington, DC.

Rubio warns Iran of 'total defeat' if it refuses deal

Secretary of State Marco Rubio called for Iran "to make a sensible choice" and resume negotiations.

A billboard with the image of the late Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei wraps the front of a building in Tehran on May 5, 2026.

Analysis

Iran's Gulf gambit: Attacking the UAE to shift US calculations

Tehran is escalating pressure on the United Arab Emirates through strikes and rhetoric, signaling a strategy to widen the conflict and indirectly force Washington to ease its blockade on Iranian ports.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Latest News

Iran’s Araghchi heads to China as US presses Beijing over Hormuz: What to know

Parker Song / Getty Images

EU says energy costs tied to Hormuz crisis have surged past $35B

Lionel BONAVENTURE / AFP via Getty Images)

Few ships pass Hormuz despite US efforts to break Iran's hold

Tankers are seen at the Khor Fakkan Container Terminal in the Sharjah Emirate, along the Strait of Hormuz on June 23, 2025. (Photo by Giuseppe CACACE / AFP) (Photo by GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Israel fears Trump seeking Hormuz win while sidestepping Iran nuclear issue

Amirhossein KHORGOOEI / ISNA / AFP via Getty Images

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

Elizabeth Hagedorn

Diplomatic Correspondent

In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights

Sabena Siddiqui

In Karachi, reporting on South Asia, Middle East, Iran

A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Benjamin Houghton

In Durham, reporting on China in the Middle East

Rahim Rahimov

In Baku, reporting on Middle East-Caucasus ties

Mehrnaz Samimi

In Washington, DC, reporting on Iranian culture

ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images

Iran accuses Israel of June sabotage attack on nuclear site

After previous denials, Iranian government spokesman Ali Rabiei acknowledged one structure's ceiling was damaged in the attack.

Supporters of Iranian ultraconservative presidential candidate Ebrahim Raisi carry a poster bearing his picture as they attend a rally in the capital, Tehran, on June 16, 2021, ahead of the Islamic Republic's June 18 presidential election.

The bizarre case of 'blank votes' in Iran's elections

In the face of an embarrassing record number of invalid votes cast in the latest elections, Iran's leadership continues to either look the other way or scramble for a justification.

Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Raisi to enter maze of regional factors in guiding diplomacy with Riyadh

Iran’s incoming president, Ebrahim Raisi, says he will focus on regional ties, particularly Gulf Arab neighbors.

US Department of the Treasury

US Treasury Department removes Iranians from designated individuals list

A Treasury official told Reuters the move was unrelated to the talks on Iran's nuclear program. The Biden administration also removed some Iranian citizens from the list in June.

Mohseni Ejei

Meet Iran's US-sanctioned new judiciary chief

Fears are growing among rights activists that the appointment of Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejei may usher in a new reign of terror for Iran's already stifled civil society.

Iran's President-elect Ebrahim Raisi delivers speech at the Imam Reza shrine in the city of Mashhad in northeastern Iran, on June 22, 2021.

The Takeaway: Iran deal on front burner before Raisi takes office

Also: Bibi plots his comeback, a woman boxing coach trains men in Egypt, and the latest from Gaza, Jordan, Iraq, and Turkey.

An Iranian health worker prepares an injection of the Iranian-made COVID-19 vaccine during the start of the second phase of trials in the capital, Tehran, on March 15, 2021.

Iran approves second Iranian-made COVID-19 vaccine

Iran's vaccine rollout has been marked by delays as the virus continues to spread rapidly across the country.

Iranian President-elect Ebrahim Raisi holds a press conference at Shahid Beheshti conference hall, Tehran, Iran, June 21, 2021.

Raisi's economic agenda may depend on Iran nuclear deal

As the JCPOA parties prepare for a return to the seventh round of nuclear talks, incoming hardline Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi might actually welcome a done deal before taking office.

Iran's Atomic Energy Organization spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi, government spokesman Ali Rabiei and Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi give a joint press conference at the presidential headquarters in the capital, Tehran, on July 7, 2019.

Iran says awaiting US decision on revived nuclear deal

The government spokesman suggested the nuclear talks could stretch well into the term of the next Iranian administration led by ultraconservative President-elect Ebrahim Raisi.

Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images

UN's Iran investigator calls for inquiry on Raisi's role in 1988 executions

The UN’s special rapporteur on human rights in Iran told Reuters that his office had collected evidence of the mass executions to share with the UN Human Rights Council.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei meets with the head of the judiciary, president-elect Ebrahim Raisi, and other Judiciary officials in Tehran, June 28, 2021.

Khamenei defends Iran’s 'epic' elections

Iran's supreme leader in a speech Monday defended the latest presidential elections, which saw the lowest voter turnout in the Islamic Republic's history.

Iran's President-elect Ebrahim Raisi attends his first press conference after winning the election in Tehran, Iran, on June 21, 2021.

Raisi's election brings rise of Iran's Hezbollahis

The election of Ebrahim Raisi as president of Iran reflects a more revolutionary turn under the direction of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.